Vehicle door and method for the production thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a vehicle door ( 1 ) and to a method for the production thereof. The vehicle door comprises a supporting frame ( 11 ) with an opening ( 2 ). The supporting frame is joined to a body structure of the vehicle in a manner that permits it to move. The opening ( 2 ) is closed in an essentially moisture-proof manner by molding it with a curable compound while forming a supporting plate ( 10 ) for accommodating elements such as window lifters, loudspeakers ( 3 ) or the like. At least one guide rail for guiding a window pane ( 9 ), which can be displaced relative to the supporting frame, is provided for accommodating a lateral edge of the window pane in the supporting plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the U.S. national phase of international patentapplication PCT/EP03/03967, filed on Apr. 16, 2003 and claims priorityto German patent application No. 102 17 831.3, filed Apr. 16, 2002, allof which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present invention relates to a vehicle door and to a method for theproduction thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles doors are known which have a supporting frame provided with acentral opening, said supporting frame being connected movably to a bodystructure of the vehicle (in the case of conventional automotive vehicleside doors via an articulation, in the case of small buses via rails).Such a door is described for example in the German patent application DE101 26 250.

It is disadvantageous in such a known door with a supporting frame thatindividual components, e.g. for fixing the window winding mechanism orfor mounting loudspeakers, door lock elements etc. on the supportingframe, need to be mounted with great complexity. In addition, it isdisadvantageous that, within the supporting frame which normally issealed inwardly by a door interior lining and outwardly by exteriorpanelling, no defined separation of the wet/dry region is given so that,with a movable window pane provided in the door, moisture penetrationinto sensitive components, such as e.g. loudspeakers, is possible incertain circumstances.

The object therefore underlying the present invention is to provide avehicle door and a method for the production thereof, the productioncosts being low and a defined separation of wet and dry regions in thedoor interior being given in order to ensure long term quality.

This object preferably is achieved by the characterizing features of thepresent invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF TILE INVENTION

As a result of the fact that, in the case of a method for producing anautomotive vehicle door which has a supporting frame provided with anopening, said supporting frame being connected movably to a bodystructure of the vehicle, the opening is sealed in an essentiallymoisture-proof manner by moulding with a curable material whilst forminga supporting plate for receiving elements, such as window winders,loudspeakers or the like, at least one guide rail for guiding a windowpane, which is displaceable relative to the supporting frame, beingprovided in the supporting plate in order to receive a lateral edge ofthe window pane, the additional elements no longer require to be mounteddirectly on the supporting frame in a complex manner. Instead,practically the entire surface area of the opening is usable. Inaddition, a clear separation of interior and exterior space is possiblesince the central opening can be sealed by the supporting plate. As aresult, the penetration of liquid is limited on the one hand, inaddition the travelling comfort is increased (by noise insulation as aresult of the additional layer) and the vehicle safety is increased(since the supporting plate also has an energy-absorbing effect in aside collision). It is particularly advantageous that an additional sealcan generally be dispensed with in the mounting region of the supportingplate and supporting frame since, in normal moulding methods, aliquid-proof connection is produced.

This construction is suitable in particular for doors with a “frameconstruction”. These frame constructions are common in particular inlightweight construction vehicles and also in the case of economicallymanufactured small cars. The advantages of the frame construction residein the simple construction and the particularly good lightweightconstruction option. It is for example possible therefore to achieve acorresponding frame construction by means of metal profiles which areinserted into each other. The difference between these frameconstructions and normal car doors, which are constructed frommulti-layer metal sheets, resides in particular in the fact that, due tothe increased strength of the edge of the frame construction, generallymerely one (with a very large surface area) opening is provided whichcan be sealed in a moisture-proof manner preferably by the supportingplate. A circumferential flange must hereby be provided in the openingpreferably at the inner edge, said flange being injection mouldedpreferably on both sides in order on the one hand to achieve aparticularly firm fixing to the supporting plate and in addition to makemoisture penetration impossible.

It is very particularly essential for the invention that window guiderails for lateral guidance are in practice jointly injection moulded(see in particular FIG. 2 c further on). As a result, it is possible tocatch the lateral edges of a window pane. As a result of the fact thatthese lateral rails enable particularly good guidance, particularly wellguided panes are possible even when there is no upper window frame (asis often the case for example with coupés). It is particularly suitableto provide in addition “U”-shaped inserts made of a very smooth materialinto the jointly injection moulded lateral window guide rail in order toachieve displacement of the window pane with as little force aspossible.

Integration of the window guide rail has several advantages. Relative tolateral window guide rails which are screwed on separately, shorteningof the tolerance chain can be established since the window guide rail iscoupled directly to the frame in the injection moulding process andhence no additional subsequent manufacturing tolerances occur.

In total, it can therefore be established that, with the supportingframe according to the invention which is produced with the methodaccording to patent claim 1, an automotive vehicle door is obtainedwhich can be produced very rapidly and economically since even thewindow guide systems are entirely incorporated into the supporting plateand the remaining components, such as for instance window winder drive,loudspeakers etc., can be integrated into the supporting plate. Theexterior or interior panellings serve accordingly merely for subsequentdecoration or further protection of the door. It is of course possibleto use another subsequent transverse support in order to furtherincrease stability, which transverse support is introduced preferablyafter implementation of the injection moulding process.

Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the solution willbe apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

An advantageous development provides that merely one single opening isprovided in the supporting frame, which opening is sealed by thesupporting plate. This is normally to be found below the window breast,the further delimitation takes place by means of a front and rear sparwhich, in the case of an automotive vehicle front door, abuts againstthe A or B column, and by means of a lower connection web between thesetwo lateral spars.

A further advantageous development provides that the surface area of theopening, in a ratio to the surface area of the surface area enclosed bythe outer contour of the supporting frame, is more than 0.4, preferablymore than 0.5. It is clear through this ratio that, in the present doorin contrast to injection moulded small bridgings, the entire dooropening is bridged by a supporting plate. This is consequently shown inthat the supporting plate has lateral guide rails for catching a windowpane.

One advantageous development provides that the moulding takes place byinjection of a thermoplastic or thermoset plastic material. For thispurpose, normal injection moulding methods for plastic material mouldedparts can be applied so that practically any shapes can be produced forthe supporting plate and its topography in order to mount elements, suchas window winders, loudspeakers etc. A particularly advantageousdevelopment hereby provides that as curable material PPLGF(polypropylene long glass fibre material) is used. This has theadvantage of a high low-temperature impact resistance, the passivesafety of the vehicle is improved by the energy-absorbing properties ofthis material.

It is of course also possible to produce the supporting plate by othermoulding methods, for instance by foaming with a multi-component foamingagent; sandwich structures can also be produced by a plurality ofsubsequent moulding processes.

With respect to production technology, it is hereby particularlyadvantageous if the supporting frame (which can be produced in one partor multi-parts) is inserted as a whole into an injection moulding orfoaming tool in order to mould the supporting plate.

A particularly advantageous development provides that an outer edge ofthe central opening of the supporting frame has a circumferential webfor form-fitting and integral connection of the supporting plate to thesupporting frame. As a result, a defined connection is made possiblesince the supporting plate can engage around this circumferential webfor example on both sides in order to ensure a liquid-proof and secureconnection between the supporting plate and supporting frame. It isparticularly simple here to produce a liquid-proof supporting platewhich completely seals a central opening of the supporting frame.

A further advantageous development provides that, after moulding thesupporting plate, there is mounted detachably or non-detachably on theside orientated towards the vehicle interior, an interior lining and/or,on the side of the supporting plate pointing towards the vehicleexterior, an exterior panelling. By means of a detachable mounting,repair of the door or elements thereof disposed on the supporting plateis greatly facilitated since hence access can be gained rapidly to thesupporting plate on both sides. This is in addition an advantage whenrecycling individual components or when exchanging the exteriorpanelling in order to change the exterior colour of the vehicle.

The supporting frame according to the invention can have various shapes.On the one hand it can be produced in one or multi-parts. The frameprofile can be produced with normal production methods from anymaterials (in particular plastic materials or metals). Thus for examplea supporting frame made of an aluminium diecasting can be represented.Another possibility resides in shaping steel sheets into a profile shape(e.g. double-steel-sheet).

A particularly advantageous development provides that a guide rail forguiding a window pane, which is displaceable relative to the supportingframe, is provided in the supporting frame or in the supporting plate.Hence it is no longer necessary to provide special window rails whichare adjustable relative to the frame in a complex manner, thesusceptibility to faults and also the assembly time is consequentlyimproved.

A further development provides that the supporting plate contains areinforcing support or is connected to the latter which crosses theopening of the supporting frame. As a result, increased requirements forpassive safety in the case of a side collision can be represented again.

It can therefore be established in summary that overall the inventionmakes possible the representation of a very lightweight vehicle doorshell and a very lightweight door, with simultaneous reduction inassembly times for the components and a significant cost advantage dueto integration of components. A clean separation of the wet and dryregion of the door is thereby produced at the same time, which leads toquality improvement. The main advantages are therefore weight reduction,cost saving, saving in assembly time, increase in quality.

Further advantageous developments of the invention are indicated in theremaining dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following invention is now explained with reference to severalFigures, which show:

FIG. 1 a supporting frame with an opening not yet filled by a supportingplate,

FIGS. 2 a to 2 c various embodiments of profiles of supporting frameswith coupled supporting plates, and

FIG. 3 an exploded drawing of an automotive vehicle door according tothe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a supporting frame 11 for an automotive vehicle door. Thisdoor represents a right side door of a car, the door has a centralopening 2 in the lower portion, which opening is delimited at the top byan upper spar 12 which also represents a window breast for a window paneopening situated thereabove. The frame 11 can have for example asindividual parts the lateral parts 13 and 14 and the spars 12 and 15which border the central opening 2. In order to increase the passivesafety, it can be provided that the central opening 2 is crossed by areinforcing support, e.g. made of metal.

The frame 11 is inserted into an injection moulding tool in order toform a supporting plate according to the invention. By means of amoulding process taking place in this injection moulding tool, theopening 2 is sealed at least in regions by moulding with a curablematerial whilst forming a supporting plate 10 for receiving elements,such as window winders, loudspeakers 3 or the like. In the present case,the supporting plate shown in FIGS. 2 a to 2 c and 3 is made of PPLGF(polypropylene long glass fibre material). Alternatively, of course allother materials can be applied which are curable (any plastic materials,foaming agent materials etc., see above). FIG. 2 a shows a schematiccross-section through a vehicle door according to the invention. In thefollowing the construction of the profiles of the supporting frame 11and of the connection to the supporting plate 10 is herewith explained.

Two alternative supporting profile shapes are shown in FIG. 2 a. In theembodiment 8 a, this is an aluminium diecast profile, in the embodiment8 b a hollow profile produced by shaping processes from a steel sheet(double-steel-sheet). Both profiles (8 a, 8 b) have on the outer edge ofthe opening 2 respectively a circumferential web 5 for form-fitting andintegral connection of the supporting plate 10 to the supporting frame11. It is possible as a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 a to 2 c, that thesupporting plate 10 encompasses the web circumferentially due to themoulding process and hence a liquid-proof connection is given by thesupporting plate 10 (on the condition that the supporting plate 10completely seals the opening 2). The door shown in FIG. 2 a is shown ina longitudinal section (plan view on a right car door). An interiorlining 6 is mounted detachably on the supporting frame 11 on the sideorientated towards the vehicle interior. In the intermediate spacebetween the interior lining 6 and the supporting plate 10, elements,such as loudspeakers, electrical operating elements (e.g. for actuatingelectrical exterior mirrors etc.) are accommodated. On the side of thesupporting plate 10, which is orientated away from the vehicle interior,an exterior panelling 7 is provided which is mounted detachably on thesupporting frame 11.

FIGS. 2 b and 2 c show details of different supporting frame profiles.In FIG. 2 b, an example is shown which is essentially that of theprofile 8 a from FIG. 2 a, in addition a rail for guiding a window pane9 (see FIG. 3) in the profile being provided in the profile. As aresult, the alignment of the window pane can be produced more rapidlyand more precisely.

In FIG. 2 c, an alternative embodiment is shown in which a windowwinding rail is part of the moulded supporting plate 10. A furtherimproved seal or low-noise guidance of the window pane 9 is herebyadvantageous (according to choice of material).

FIG. 3 shows a complete automotive vehicle door 1. On the side of theautomotive vehicle door which is orientated towards the automotivevehicle interior, a lining 6 can be applied detachably. On the side ofthe door which points away from the automotive vehicle interior, anexterior panelling 7 is mounted detachably. The opening 2 of thesupporting frame 11 is sealed by the supporting plate 10 in aliquid-proof manner.

The automotive vehicle door 1 is completely equipped in FIG. 3. Thismeans that e.g. a loudspeaker 3 is applied in FIG. 3 on the rear side ofthe supporting plate 10. On the side of the supporting plate 10 which isorientated towards the exterior panelling 7, a window pane 9, which ismovable relative to the supporting frame, is guided displaceably. Forthis purpose, a lifting mechanism with cable controls 17 andcorresponding deflection rollers is applied in order to displace thepane 9 in the guide rails 16 according to the requirements of anautomotive vehicle passenger.

It may be noted that the supporting frame can of course also haveconfigurations other than those in FIGS. 1 and 3. Thus for example asupport of the window pane in the upper B and C column region is notalways necessary, i.e. above the spar 12 (e.g. in coupe automotivevehicles).

The embodiment of an automotive vehicle door shown in connection withFIG. 2 c is particularly essential. This has a supporting frame 11provided with an opening 2, said supporting frame being connectedmovably to a body structure of the vehicle (for instance via tworotatable hinges). The opening 2 is sealed in an essentiallymoisture-proof manner and/or completely by moulding with a curablematerial whilst forming a supporting plate 10 for receiving elements,such as window winders, loudspeakers or the like. It is hereby suitablethat the supporting frame, which can comprise for example diecastprofiles, has a circumferential flange on its inside, said flange beinginjection moulded by the curable material. At least one guide rail forguiding a window pane, which is displaceable relative to the supportingframe, is provided in the supporting plate in order to receive a lateraledge of the window pane. As a result, it is possible for example toprovide a guide rail on two sides of a window pane, which guide rail isproduced integrally in an injection moulding tool during injectionmoulding of the supporting frame. As a result, the production times areshortened, the tolerance chain is shortened in addition as describedabove. In order to improve the sliding property, it is of coursepossible to introduce a U-shaped element into the rail 16, which elementis low-friction or coated to be low-friction and hence keeps the leverforces minimal. This U-shaped element can either be jointly injectionmoulded simultaneously or else be inserted subsequently.

The integral injection moulding of the guide rail is particularlyadvantageous in the case of the doors shown here with supporting framessince, (in contrast to doors with a normal sheet metal layerconstruction which have a securely mounted outer metal sheet),accessibility and assemblibility is very good. For current small carswith support frame doors, a completely new approach is however alsooffered with the invention since, in the case of such vehicles, doormodule inserts have to date not been used, even in the case ofmass-produced vehicles, the separation of wet and dry space takes placehere by means of a film which is glued on the frame.

1. Method for producing an automotive vehicle door, comprising (i)providing a supporting frame having an opening, said supporting framebeing connected movably to a body structure of an automotive vehicle,and (ii) sealing the opening in an essentially moisture-proof manner bymoulding with a curable material whilst forming a supporting plate forreceiving elements, at least one guide rail for guiding a window pane,which is displaceable relative to the supporting frame, being providedin the supporting plate in order to receive a lateral edge of the windowpane.
 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the moulding takes placeby injection of a thermoplastic or thermoset plastic material.
 3. Methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the curable material is polypropylene longglass fiber (PPLGF) material.
 4. Method according to claim 1, whereinthe moulding takes place by foaming with a multi-component foaming agentmaterial.
 5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the moulding takesplace by injection moulding.
 6. Method according to claim 1, wherein anouter edge of the opening has a circumferential web for form-fitting andintegral connection of the supporting plate to the supporting frame. 7.Method according to claim 1, wherein the opening is completely sealed inorder to produce a liquid-proof supporting plate.
 8. Method according toclaim 1, wherein, after moulding the supporting plate, there is mountedon the side orientated towards the vehicle interior, an interior liningor, on the side of the supporting plate pointing towards the vehicleexterior, an external panelling.
 9. Method according to claim 1, whereinthe supporting frame is produced in a shaping method.
 10. Methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the supporting frame is one part. 11.Method according to claim 1, wherein merely one opening is provided inthe supporting frame which is sealed by the supporting plate.
 12. Methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the surface area of the opening, in aratio to the surface area of the surface area enclosed by the outercontour of the supporting frame, is more than 0.4.
 13. Vehicle doorproduced according to claim
 1. 14. Method for producing an automotivevehicle door, comprising (i) providing a supporting frame having anopening, said supporting frame being connected movably to a bodystructure of the vehicle, and (ii) sealing the opening at least inregions by moulding with a curable material whilst forming a supportingplate for receiving elements, wherein the curable material ispolypropylene long glass fiber (PPLGF) material.
 15. Vehicle doorproduced according to claim
 14. 16. Method for producing an automotivevehicle door, comprising (i) providing a supporting frame having anopening, said supporting frame being connected movably to a bodystructure of the vehicle, and (ii) sealing the opening at least inregions by moulding with a curable material whilst forming a supportingplate for receiving elements, wherein the moulding takes place byfoaming with a multi-component foaming agent material.
 17. Vehicle doorproduced according to claim
 16. 18. Method for producing an automotivevehicle door, comprising (i) providing a supporting frame having anopening, said supporting frame being connected movably to a bodystructure of the vehicle, and (ii) sealing the opening at least inregions by moulding with a curable material whilst forming a supportingplate for receiving elements, wherein an outer edge of the opening has acircumferential web for form-fitting and integral connection of thesupporting plate to the supporting frame.
 19. Vehicle door producedaccording to claim
 18. 20. Method for producing an automotive vehicledoor, comprising (i) providing a supporting frame having an opening,said supporting frame being connected movably to a body structure of thevehicle, and (ii) sealing the opening at least in regions by mouldingwith a curable material whilst forming a supporting plate for receivingelements, wherein the supporting frame is produced in a shaping method.21. Vehicle door produced according to claim
 20. 22. Method forproducing an automotive vehicle door, comprising (i) providing asupporting frame having an opening, said supporting frame beingconnected movably to a body structure of the vehicle, and (ii) sealingthe opening at least in regions by moulding with a curable materialwhilst forming a supporting plate for receiving elements, wherein thesupporting frame is one part.
 23. Vehicle door produced according toclaim
 22. 24. Method for producing an automotive vehicle door,comprising (i) providing a supporting frame having an opening, saidsupporting frame being connected movably to a body structure of thevehicle, and (ii) sealing the opening at least in regions by mouldingwith a curable material whilst forming a supporting plate for receivingelements, wherein merely one opening is provided in the supporting framewhich is sealed by the supporting plate and wherein the surface area ofthe opening, in a ratio to the surface area of the surface area enclosedby the outer contour of the supporting frame, is more than 0.4. 25.Vehicle door produced according to claim 24.